'America is back,' President Trump tells Naval Academy grads

On 'Fox & Friends,' President Donald Trump suggested that players who don't stand for the national anthem might not belong in the country.
USA TODAY

President Donald Trump waves as he finishes speaking to the media, while walking to the Marine One helicopter Friday, May 25, 2018, on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington. Trump is traveling to Annapolis, Md., to address the U.S. Naval Academy graduation ceremonies.(AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) ORG XMIT: DCJM106(Photo: Jacquelyn Martin, AP)

WASHINGTON — President Trump touted his administration's push to increase military spending in a commencement address at the Naval Academy on Friday, telling graduating midshipmen that the U.S. had regained its stride on the world stage.

"America is back," Trump told the sea of graduates sitting side by side in blue and white dress uniforms. "We are witnessing the great reawakening of the American spirit and of American might."

Trump's address focused heavily on military investment, including $700 billion that Congress approved this year. That money will be used in part, Trump said, to grow the U.S. fleet closer to his goal of 355 ships, up from the current count of about 280.

The president blamed "cynics and critics" for trying to "tear down" the United States. And he said that the U.S. had regained a position of strength that he characterized as being lost before his election.

"In case you haven’t noticed, we have become a lot stronger lately," Trump said. "We are not going to apologize for America. We are going to stand up for America."

The president did not specifically discuss two regions of the world where U.S. foreign policy has shifted recently: the Middle East and the Korean Peninsula.

Following through on a campaign promise, Trump withdrew the U.S. from a multi-nation deal with Iran earlier this month that was intended to limit that country's nuclear ambitions.

The outcome of those discussions could have an impact on the 1,042-midshipmen class that graduated Friday. Trump repeatedly warned Thursday the U.S. military would be ready if Kim reacted "foolishly" and the region returned to heightened tensions.

"The best way to prevent war, is to be fully prepared for war," Trump said.

The address was Trump's first at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., and it continued a tradition dating back to Ulysses S. Grant of presidents laying out a military vision to the midshipmen. The commencement, attended by 30,000 people, was filled with the pomp and tradition of a military ceremony, including a flyover by the Navy's Blue Angels.

"You are now leaders in the most powerful and righteous force on the face of the planet," Trump said. "You will bring comfort to our friends and you will strike fear into the hearts of our enemies."